Earlier today we learned that the PS3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Street Fighter X Tekken will include five exclusive characters: Mega Man, Pac-Man, Cole McGrath and Japanese PlayStation mascots Toro and Kuro.

It got me thinking about cameos and guest appearances in games – an increasingly frequent occurrence, it seems, particularly in beat ‘em ups. And it’s not just other game characters popping up in other pixels’ playgrounds: the NBA Jam series has a long tradition of including Presidential ‘ballers and the mighty Phil Collins popped up in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

This week’s Weekend Debate poser is:

What would be your dream gaming crossovers or cameos and why?

The 15 most original and entertaining ideas as decided by our independent judge will bag their authors a voucher code for the LittleBigPlanet 2 Move Pack to help you make your dream mash-ups for yourselves. Do bear in mind that you will need a copy of LittleBigPlanet 2 (not included) to use this DLC.

Can’t wait to read what you come up with!

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On Thursday 22nd December from 8AM BST PlayStation Home will go offline for scheduled maintenance. Here is what to expect when PS Home reopens…

The darkness has been lifted from Aurora! Peace and beauty have finally been restored. Along with the return of daylight, Aurora is currently passing above a large mountain range.

Hopefully the islands will remain high enough to avoid any collisions!

There is now a new island holding a fantastic single and multiplayer game called ‘Espionage 9′, along with another island containing the addictive ‘Los Penguini Brothers’ mini game.

We also have a new Teller of Tales story about the discovery of the islands which will be coming very shortly. Also, as well as new rewards for level 95 and a very special level 100 reward, we’re giving everyone not one but two free items to celebrate the launch of Aurora 1.4. One will be given on entering the space, and the other will arrive with the new Teller of Tales story. So what are you waiting for? Come and explore the wonders of Aurora now!
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First of all, we’d like to thank the PlayStation.Blog and its readers for supporting Amy for several months now. As we get closer to the release of the game, which will be early next year, we wanted answer a question that has been asked many times: what kind of survival-horror game is Amy? How do players cope with enemies? What kind of weapons can you use? To answer those questions and more, we created the following video just for you:

As you can see, Amy is not about giving you huge power against enemies and giving players an action-oriented experience. Amy goes back to the roots of the survival-horror genre, and provides edge-of-your-seat suspense that will keep you wondering what’s around the next corner.

While most games in the genre choose to either be action- or combat-based, or instill fear by making players feel vastly less powerful than their enemies, Amy combines the best of both worlds. Paul Cuisset, the man behind Amy (and classic games such as Flashback), wanted to a new dimension, which is the cooperation between Amy and Lana .

Playing as Lana, you will have to decide whether you want to hide and avoid combat, or fight by using whatever weapons you can find. As highlighted in the last video, you can use Lana’s vulnerability to the infection to walk amongst enemies undetected, or use Amy’s special abilities, which you can see a glimpse of at the end of this video.

This makes you consider many options before trying to fight: hiding, asking Amy to go away, or using her special powers to defeat your opponents. But as we like to encourage players to exercise their right to choose, if you want to fight, go ahead and try. You won’t always be able to win, but those who don’t try will never know…

If you want to be get all the news about Amy, videos and goodies, please follow us on Facebook and click on Like. Thank you.

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The handheld weapons are a key part of any MMOFPS and DUST 514 is no exception. There were a few things that were very important to us.

Firstly, we wanted to avoid the feeling of “Vietnam in space” that you sometimes see in sci-fi games. The goal was to create weapons that had recognizable roles but used more advanced technologies than the equivalent weapons of today. The power of these guns would tear apart a modern day battlefield. In DUST 514 the only way your mercenary can survive the power of these weapons is due to the advanced shielding and armor of the dropsuits they wear. Without them, simply firing these weapons would severely injure or even kill you!
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This Thursday, December 8th, we will release the latest update to the PlayStation Home client. PlayStation Home version 1.60 delivers a wealth of improvements and updates to the core client, not the least of which is a doubling of the item placement limit in personal spaces! Here’s a look at what’s coming to you as part of PlayStation Home v1.60:

Application of the patch
If you are upgrading from an old version of Home (1.40 or earlier) then when you attempt to apply the 1.60 patch please wait for the orange “hard drive activity” light to stop flashing on your PS3 before commencing the patching process.

New features

Furniture placement limit

• We have doubled the furniture placement limit in Personal Spaces and Clubhouses from 50 to 100 items.
• This has been a regularly requested change and we’re eager to see what new layouts you come up with!
• Standard and active furniture limits have been merged into the same system. Currently all actives take up 22 furniture slots in the new system. Thus you can now place a variety of different combinations:
• 100 standard furniture items or…
• 78 standard furniture items and 1 active or…
• 56 standard furniture items and 2 actives or…
• 34 standard furniture items and 3 actives or…
• 12 standard furniture items and 4 actives.

Improvements

Targeting in Personal Spaces

• Targeting in Personal Spaces has been improved.
• This means you shouldn’t accidentally target furniture items through floors or ceilings any more.
• Although we have made exceptions for wall hangings and lights as these tend to be placed quite high up.
• If you find any items of furniture in places you can’t reach then you can always remove them through the furniture browser and place them somewhere else.

Portables

• We have changed the way that companion portables work so they will automatically re-activate after you enter and leave a mini-game or relocate between spaces. No more having to put your companion away and take them out again when you do this!

Help system

• There is a more proactive help system to aid new users outside of their Harbour Studio Personal Space as they explore PlayStation®Home for the first time.

Arcade games

• Arcade games are no longer subject to the 3 minute inactivity timeout when placed as furniture in Personal Spaces or Clubhouses.

Changes

Menu Pad

We have removed the “Community” section of the Menu Pad. The information that used to be contained in here is now communicated via the message of the day pop-up at login and the new loading screens.

Of course, there are plenty more bug fixes and enhancements that are part of v1.60 as well which will help improve your day-to-day experience in the wide world of PlayStation Home.

Content Update

So, on to this week’s new content. Put on your Winter warmers – it’s PS Home’s 3rd anniversary and it’s snowing outside! Gnome Curling makes an appearance in Home Square which has been blanketed in a crisp white layer of lovely snow! Fear not, fans of the mind-boggling Cogs game – you can now find this puzzler taking up residence in the Indie Park.

Novus Prime is also celebrating its 1st anniversary so for a limited time Nebulon and Experience boosters will be absolutely FREE and many of the items in the Novus Prime stores will be on sale for 50% off! This celebration will be over before you know it, so report to the Novus Prime station on the double and join the fight!

Hide in plain sight with Konami’s new Urban Camo line. Grab your friends and change the look of your environment or sneak up on unsuspecting people!

Granny Lockwood’s been hard at work again, and this time she’s taken her inspiration from the chilly extremes of the planet, the North and South Poles! Pumpkin Pie the Polar Bear and Popsicle the Penguin can’t wait to play with you. They both love to do tricks – be patient and they’re sure to show you what they can do. Also, their cousins are exclusively available via the Gift Machine – look out for them – they’re only available for a limited time!

Midwinter Angel or Burning Desire? This Winter Medusa brings you the latest styles, perfect for relaxing on a frosty afternoon or heading out to a glitzy evening party.

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